Pandora's Box
by Lady Azura
Summary: She should’ve never opened the door. That’s how this whole mess all started in the first place. Threeshot! Please R&R!
1. Part I

Summary: _She should've never opened the door. That's how this whole mess all started in the first place. (Twoshot! Please R&R!) _

Disclaimer: Don't own _Life With Derek_ or _Degrassi_ or anything else you KNOW I don't own. Hell, I don't even own the bloody pairing - just the plot. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Once again, I blame **greenfiend03**'s "The Best of Random Ships" video(s) for the inspiration.

Also, the timeline is really screwed up in this because it bounces between past and present, so, to make it easier for you guys:

"X" means present regular screen change.  
"oOo" means past.  
"-" means it's past, but it's a scene change.

Enjoy!

X

**Pandora's Box****  
**_**Part I**_

X

Lizzie McDonald sighed as she entered her bedroom and flopped down on her bed, gazing blankly up at the ceiling while flashes of everything that'd happened in the last week ran through her mind.

She should've never opened the door. That's how this whole mess all started in the first place.

Her parents had always told her to _never_ open the door - under _any_ circumstance - when no one else was home and now, she wished she would've listened because by opening the door, she'd unlocked Pandora's Box.

oOo

"Lame… lame… lame… lam_er_, and just plain stupid." Lizzie groaned as she flipped aimlessly through the channels for something to watch, and eventually - though reluctantly - settled on an old _Degrassi_ episode before tossing the remote aside.

Presently, she was the only one home. Everyone else had gone to beach for the day, or in Edwin's case, out bowling. Now, normally, she didn't mind being home alone - it was a rare occasion that neither her nor Edwin _ever_ took for granted - but given the fact that there was absolutely nothing interesting on TV besides old _Degrassi_ re-runs… she kind of wished she'd've taken up the offer to go to the beach. It would've sure beat the hell out of the boredom she was currently suffering from _now_,

Fortunately, her boredom didn't last _too_ long. About midway through the episode, a knock sounded at the door, jarring Lizzie from her stupor. Furrowing her brow, she stood up and made her way over, all the while wondering who it could be. As she neared the door, she could scarcely make out something pink through the transparent curtains and tried to think of any girls she knew that'd be randomly stopping by unannounced, but could only think of -

"Michelle?"

Sure enough, Edwin's blonde girlfriend was standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Lizzie found herself asking, but then realized it was a stupid question and mentally reprimanded herself. "I mean… are you here to see Edwin? He's not here right now. He's out bowling with Teddy and Jason, but he should be back soon."

The blonde merely shook her head.

"I'm not here to see Edwin, Lizzie." She said. "Actually, I was kind of hoping that I could talk to _you_… about something."

Lizzie arched an eyebrow, but didn't question the blonde, assuming that whatever it was that Michelle wanted to talk about, it had something to do _with_ Edwin. Then she stepped aside to let the other girl in.

As Michelle started to undo her shoes, Lizzie went into the kitchen to fetch two glasses of iced tea. When she came back, Michelle was already seated on the couch.

"So," she began, taking a seat beside the blonde and setting the two glasses on the coffee table in front of them, "What's up? What do you want to talk about?"

Michelle didn't say anything at first. She just stared at the TV, but it wasn't like she was _watching_ it or anything. Just staring at it with a sort of faraway look in her eyes. Then, finally, she looked over at Lizzie and spoke.

"I'm not entirely sure where to begin…" She said, smiling warily.

"How about the beginning?" Lizzie suggested. "Is it about Edwin?"

"Sort of…"

Lizzie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Great. What did he do _this_ time?"

Michelle shook her head frantically.

"No, no! You have it wrong! Edwin didn't do anything wrong - in fact, he's been great - it's just…" she trailed off and looked away from Lizzie, reaching over to take a sip of her iced tea before staring down at the glass in her hands and confessing - in a voice barely above a whisper, "I'm… I'm not sure if I like Edwin anymore."

Say what?

Lizzie gaped at her for a moment or two, unsure of how to respond. During this time, Michelle continued,

"I mean, I still _like_ him and all as a friend, just not… you know… like-like."

"So… what?" said Lizzie, once the initial shock wore off. "You want advice on how to break up with him or…?"

"I think I like someone else."

…

"Oh."

Wonderful. Of all the responses in the world, all she could think up was a simple 'oh'. _Especially_ at a critical time like this! It took all Lizzie's willpower not to smack herself for sounding like such an idiot.

"I don't know what to do!" Michelle cried suddenly, snapping Lizzie out of her reverie. "I mean, I like Edwin a lot - he's smart and funny… and cute -" Lizzie would've gladly disagreed with her on the latter if she still wasn't so dumbfounded, " - but… oh, I don't know! Lately, I've just been feeling these… these _feelings_ for this other person and they're stronger than any feelings I've ever felt for Edwin or anyone, really, and… I just don't know what I should do. What should I do, Lizzie?"

"Uh… umm… I… err…"

How intelligent. Let's start over, shall we?

"I… umm… I…" How _was_ she supposed to reply to that? She'd never given what-to-do-when-you-like-someone-you're-not-dating advice before! "I think… well…"

Oh, to Hell with it. Just blurt the first damn thing that comes to mind.

"Does… umm… does this other person know how you feel about them?" Lizzie found herself asking.

Michelle shook her head.

"No, I don't think so."

"Well… have you _told_ them?" asked Lizzie.

"Are you kidding? I can't do that!" Michelle cried.

"Why?" Lizzie asked, even though the answer was obvious. "Because you're with Edwin?"

"That's partly the reason." Michelle admitted. "The other is… I just… _can't_."

"Why not?"

"Because!"

Not helping. Honestly, how was she going to be of any use if she didn't even know the entire story? Furthermore, why did everyone always insist on going to _her_ for this kind of stuff? Did she _look_ like someone with a lot of dating experience?

Evidently so.

"Okay," she said, as sensibly as she could, all the while trying to piece together what little information she had, "So… if you can't _tell_ this person, why not show them?"

"Show them?" Michelle squeaked.

Lizzie nodded.

"Yeah." She confirmed. "Show them."

Wait. Why was she suggesting that at all? Wasn't that sort of… more or less, betraying Edwin in a way?

By this point, the blonde looked about ready to faint. Her face was pale and her eyes kept darting around nervously.

Then, she reached over and cupped Lizzie's face. Lizzie furrowed her brow in confusion and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Michelle's lips were suddenly pressed against hers.

At first, Lizzie didn't know how to react, and even if she did, she was far too shocked _to_ react, and for the first ten or so seconds, she just sat there like a statue, wide-eyed and brain-dead, and let Michelle kiss her. Then, due to some bizarre impulse, she closed her eyes and gave into the kiss, even going so far as to wrap her arms around the other girl and pull her closer.

It was weird kissing a girl - way different than kissing a boy, though her only two experiences had been with Jamie on their third date, and Edwin once when they'd been 'experimenting', because in all honesty, they couldn't see why their parents and elder siblings enjoyed it so much. But kissing a girl… it was nice. Less sloppy and messy, and just… nice. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy, and tingly all over.

Then, it was over.

The two parted for air and Lizzie opened her eyes and gazed at Michelle almost dreamily, and was somewhat relieved to find that the look was reciprocated. It made her feel less like a lovesick dork.

"I -" she started, but before she could finish her sentence, the front door swung open and Edwin waltzed on in.

Lizzie and Michelle immediately jumped apart, and tried to make it look like they were watching TV.

"Hey Liz," the dark-haired Venturi greeted as he slipped off his shoes. "And Michelle…?" He added, confused, once he looked up.

"She was just -" Lizzie began, but Michelle cut her off.

"I was just leaving." She said, standing up and making her way over to the door. "Bye Lizzie." She winked reassuringly - so only the McDonald could see - before brushing passed Edwin and saying a quick goodbye to him as well.

When she was gone, Edwin turned to look at Lizzie.

"What was that about?" He asked.

Lizzie didn't say anything. She didn't know _what_ to say to him. Instead, she just stood up in a trance-like state and walked upstairs.

X

That's how the whole mess started in the first place. The kiss, the fact that she _enjoyed_ the kiss, and the fact that her next brilliant move was to go to Derek of all people for help!

Yeah. _Derek_.

oOo

"Holy shit."

So, clearly, the self-proclaimed 'Lord of Lies' did _not_ see it coming. In fact, he was rather surprised when his younger step-sister came into his room begging for advice to begin with, considering that she was a girl and had her own sister to pester about boy issues. Then he assumed it was because he was so obviously cooler than Casey and Lizzie had only just realized it, and was about to welcome her to the dark side and give her some brotherly advice when she'd confessed… she'd confessed…

"Holy shit."

Yeah, that phrase was becoming rather repetitive. And annoying. But really, could anyone blame him? How was he SUPPOSED to react? His step-sister has just confessed that his brother's girlfriend had kissed her! His brother's girlfriend was a lesbian (or, at the very least, bisexual) and she'd kissed Lizzie! He didn't know who he felt worse for - his brother or Lizzie.

"Did… umm… did… did…" What the hell? Was he retarded? Pull yourself together! He told himself, before clearing his throat and starting over. "Have you told Casey? Or your mom?"

"I can't do that!" Lizzie cried, pacing back and forth around his room and waving her arms around frantically. "They're homophobic! They'll kick me out! I'll be disowned and -"

"Lizzie, you won't be disowned." Derek assured her. "Michelle kissed _you_, remember? Not the other way around. Besides, it's not like you enjoyed it or anything, right?"

Lizzie's silence was all the answer Derek needed.

"You _did_?"

"Yeah… kind of… I think so… I mean, I don't know… _shit_! Derek, what am I going to do?"

Derek didn't know what to be more shocked about - the fact that Lizzie had just swore, or the fact that she enjoyed kisses bestowed upon her by lesbians. Both were rather shocking and left him completely at loss for words.

"I… I don't know." He said, finally. "I'll figure something out, though. Don't worry, okay?"

Lizzie nodded weakly.

"Okay." She said. "Just promise me one thing, though."

"Sure."

"Don't tell anyone about this, okay?" She said. "Especially not Edwin."

Derek just nodded.

"Okay." He said. "I promise."

Lizzie thanked him before turning around and exiting the room.

-

Avoiding someone was a lot harder than it looked, especially when that same someone was dating your step-brother and was bound to be at your house almost every night for dinner.

Edwin didn't have a clue. He thought everything was all fine and dandy in 'Michwin Land'. How very wrong he was. Lizzie couldn't help but pity him, especially when his beloved girlfriend was always trying to play footsy with _her_ at the dinner table.

School was even worse, though. Michelle sat right across from her and whenever the teacher had his back turned, she'd pass notes to her. No one in their class suspected anything odd - they didn't question the content of the notes; they just saw it as two girls gossiping. They had no idea that the notes bordered on love letter. Not only that, but at lunch, when everyone was all sitting together, Michelle would always sit next to _her_, now - instead of her own boyfriend, who sat directly across from Lizzie - and brush up against her at any given opportunity.

And _no one_ noticed a damn thing!

It was unbelievable.

Not one single person - not Edwin or Jamie or Teddy, or any of their other friends - even so much as batted an eye.

And yet, despite the fact that everyone was _clearly_ blind, Lizzie couldn't help but feel guilty. Sure, she wasn't hitting on Michelle _back_, but she wasn't exactly pushing her away, either, or speaking up about it. Wasn't that just as bad? It had to be. There was no way in Hell that it was okay. She was betraying Edwin's trust to some degree - they both were. Michelle for, well, obvious reasons, and _her_ for letting him think that everything was fine when it wasn't.

She had to tell him. She had to! And she would. As soon as they got home.

"Lizzie?"

_Fuck_.

Lizzie slammed her locker door shut and swiveled around, only to find Michelle standing there. The rest of the hallway was empty, so it was just them.

"What do you want?" She asked, a bit more harshly than intended.

Michelle bit her lip.

"I feel…" she started, clearly unsure of what she wanted to say - or rather, _how_ she wanted to say it, "I feel like you've been avoiding me."

"You think?" Lizzie hadn't actually meant to say it out loud, but, well… too late now, she mused.

"Oh." The blonde in front of her replied simply. "So… you have."

"_Yes_."

Oddly enough, Michelle didn't look hurt.

Or upset.

Or confused, or… anything, really.

She just grimaced at Lizzie.

"Well, can I ask why?"

You've got to be fucking kidding.

"W-why?" Lizzie spluttered, as if it were the most outrageous thing she'd ever heard.

Michelle nodded.

Lizzie pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You kissed me!" She hissed. "That's why! Not only that, but you've been coming onto me all week!"

"You kissed back." Michelle countered. "And besides…" she lifted her hand to cup the side of Lizzie's face, "you haven't exactly rejected my advances."

"That's not the point!" Lizzie snapped, recoiling from the other girl's touch. "Besides, last I checked, you were dating my step-brother."

Michelle sighed dramatically.

"But I don't like-like _him_, Liz!" She whined. "I like-like _you_!"

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't feel the same wa - ow!" Lizzie barely had time to register what was going on before she suddenly found herself trapped between the blonde and her locker. "M-Michelle…?"

Michelle didn't say anything as she reached down to take hold of both of Lizzie's hands and intertwine their fingers before lifting them up to show the McDonald.

"See?" She said, smiling warmly. "Perfect."

Lizzie couldn't help but wonder if the blonde had completely lost her mind.

"Michelle, stop." She pleaded softly. "You're with Edwin."

"Yeah, I know…" Michelle replied, stroking Lizzie's wrist lightly with her thumb. "But I _want_ to be with you…"

"But _I_ don't want to be with _you_!" Lizzie hissed, narrowing her eyes. "I'm with Jamie -"

"_Please_. He's such a child. You should break up with him. Then _we_…" Michelle leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching, "could be together."

"You're. With. _Edwin_." Lizzie gritted out. "Remember?"

"I'll break up with him." Michelle replied simply.

It was amazing how much she'd changed after a week's time and a kiss. Before the kiss, it was as if she hadn't been sure about anything, but ever since then, it was like she was absolutely sure about everything.

"Come on, Liz…" Michelle's breath tickled her ear. "What do you say?" She tilted her head and let her lips brush against the brunette's briefly before pulling back.

Lizzie gazed at her through lidded eyes. Once again, there was a dreamy look on her face, not unlike the one she'd had after their first kiss. This made Michelle positively giddy, but she made a point not to show it. Instead, she released Lizzie's hands and backed up, staring at her expectantly, awaiting her answer.

"I…" Lizzie started, but got no further than that. It was like her voice had stopped working or something. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't say _no_.

All she _could_ do was stand there, gaping at Michelle like an idiot.

"Maybe _this_ will help you with your decision…"

Before Lizzie could say or _do_ anything, Michelle's lips were suddenly on hers again.

_'Push her away!'_ Her mind screamed. _'Think about your mom and Casey! Think about Jamie! Think about Edwin!'_

Lizzie tried. She tried to think of all of those things, but somehow, she couldn't find the strength to push Michelle away. Instead, against her better judgment, she let eyes flutter closed and gave into the kiss, wrapping her arms around the other girl's neck and kissing her back. She felt Michelle smile against her lips, but couldn't bring herself to care. It felt too good.

Then, in an instant, everything came crashing down.

"What. The. _Hell_."

Lizzie's eyes snapped open and, after shoving Michelle away, she glanced over and was horrified to find Edwin standing there, staring at them with… with such _hurt_ in his eyes that it literally broke Lizzie's heart.

"Edwin, it's not -" She started, but Edwin cut her off.

"Save it." He muttered, turning around. "I don't want to hear any excuses."

With that, he disappeared down the hall.

X

Edwin refused to talk to her after that.

After they'd gotten home from school that afternoon, he'd called Michelle up only to end their relationship, and then retreated to his attic bedroom, where he'd stayed there for the rest of the night.

Lizzie tried to talk to him - she really did, but he wouldn't have any of it. On her last try, she'd dragged him into the Games Closet for a forced confrontation, but that had only ended horribly when he blamed the entire thing on _her_ and vowed to never speak to her again, before storming off and leaving her in tears.

He didn't tell anyone about _why_ they weren't speaking - she supposed she was grateful for that, but at this point, she felt like she'd rather be disowned and living on the streets than to have to live with Edwin hating her and not speaking to her.

Derek was the only one who knew. Of course, Lizzie hadn't actually _told_ him about the incident with Michelle at school and Edwin catching them, but… he'd put the pieces together. Surprisingly, he didn't hate her, even though his brother had gotten hurt.

_"He'll get over it."_ He'd said. _"Just give him a few weeks and he'll be back to normal."_

Lizzie highly doubted that, and she knew that the only reason Derek had said that was to make her feel better.

Sighing loudly, Lizzie rolled over and closed her eyes.

She should've never opened that stupid door.

X

**Yeah. That's right. Mizzie. AKA, Michelle and Lizzie. And yeah, I was inspired by **greenfiend03**'s latest "Random Ships" video.**

**It's not over. Once more, this is a twoshot - everything will be resolved in Part 2. Hopefully.**

**This is honestly the longest chapter I've written for anything, but I was trying to get all the conflict and stuff in this chapter so I could resolve everything in the next.**

**And… **MICHWIN**! HA! I COINTED THAT TERM, BITCHES!**

**Ahem. I feel like Michelle's personality became slightly warped as the chapter went on. Don't you? Ah, well, she'll be back to normal in the next chapter. OH NOEZ! SPOILERS! Haha.**

**God, I hate this. This became so different than what I had originally planned… if you guys don't like it, I understand. I don't either. :P However, if you do, by some chance, like it… then… please ****REVIEW****. I'll love you forever.**

_**-Lady Azura-**_


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: Don't own _Life With Derek_. Or Lucky Charms. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Aww… only 5 reviews? Oh well. Thanks to those of you that did, though! I really appreciate it! Here's part 2! Enjoy!

X

**Pandora's Box****  
**_**Part II**_

X

It had been two long, agonizing weeks since Edwin had stopped speaking to her, and with each passing day that they'd gone without talking to one another, it only got harder to bear.

Of course, by this point, the rest of their family - with the exception of Derek, who already knew everything - had slowly begun to catch on, but as per usual, they were as clueless as ever. Sure, they knew _something_ was up, but to simply brush it off as hormones or to blame it on puberty? _Really_? Lizzie couldn't help but snort, though at the same time, there was a large part of her that was glad that her family was so utterly oblivious. She couldn't even begin to imagine how they'd react if they knew the truth, and so, for the time being, she let them believe what they wanted - despite how off they actually were.

Sighing loudly, she reached up to rub her eyes before rolling over and onto her side. She stared blankly at the bookshelf nearest her window and bit her lip.

She was miserable, and _that_ was putting it lightly.

For the past two weeks, she'd been acting almost zombie-like. Every morning was the same; she'd get up early, eat breakfast, walk to school alone (because riding the bus meant she'd be in the presence of Edwin, who currently hated her guts), do her work, walk back home alone, retreat to her room until she was called down for dinner, and then after dinner, retire for the remainder of the night, only to repeat the same schedule the following day.

If that wasn't enough, she'd also started skipping half of her after-school and weekend activities to mope around in her room, and hadn't really talked to or hung out with any of her friends. _Couldn't_, really, because she and Edwin socialized with the same group of people. To make matters worse, Michelle was also in that group, and considering the fact that none of the three were on speaking terms… needless to say, it was making their lunches incredibly tense and awkward.

Of course, Michelle had tried talking to her. Key word: _tried_. Lizzie wouldn't let her, though. She hadn't even spoken to Michelle since the day Edwin had caught them in the hallway, and why would she? This entire mess was _her_ fault to begin with! If she hadn't kissed her, none of this would've happened!

At least, that's what Lizzie tried to convince herself. But she knew, deep down, that she was just as responsible for the mess as Michelle was.

A growl emitted from her stomach. It was then that Lizzie realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't really been eating a lot, but during her state of depression, she'd hardly noticed her hunger, and it seemed as though it was finally catching up to her.

Sighing, she sat up and slid out of bed, slowly making her way out of her room and down the stairs, where she headed straight for the kitchen.

As she passed the living room, she noticed that Derek had fallen asleep in his recliner while watching hockey, and smiled. They were the only two home. The rest of their family had gone out for dinner - save for Edwin, who'd disappeared sometime around breakfast and hadn't been seen or heard from since; Derek, who'd decided that the hockey game was more important than 'some lame family dinner at a cheap restaurant', though she knew he also had a hidden agenda, which was to keep an eye on _her_ and make sure she didn't do anything stupid; and, of course, herself.

Sparing one last glance at her elder step-brother, Lizzie turned around and entered the kitchen, where she immediately began to rummage through the cabinets and refrigerator for something good (and easy) to make.

Five minutes passed, and Lizzie finally grew impatient and settled on Lucky Charms. She quickly bent down to retrieve the box, but as soon as she closed the cupboard and turned around, she froze.

"E-Edwin?" She squeaked, startled to find her dark-haired step-brother standing there. "What are you -"

Edwin cut her off.

"We need to talk." Was all he said, refusing to meet her gaze as he whipped around and made his way out of the kitchen.

Lizzie said nothing more and just nodded, forgetting all about her hunger as she followed him blindly up the stairs and to their (former?) designated hideout - AKA, the Games Closet.

Edwin made sure that the coast was clear before shutting the door behind them, locking it and switching on the light.

A deafening silence dawned on them, and for the first two or three minutes, neither spoke. They just stood there, on opposite ends of the closet, gazing hard at one another while the light bulb above them flickered and threatened to go out.

Then, finally, Edwin spoke.

"I'm… sorry."

Lizzie's eyes widened.

Had she heard right?

Did he just say what she thought he said?

No. It couldn't be! He couldn't have! It didn't make any sense!

"What did you say?" She whispered, almost frightfully.

She wanted to know -- had to know - _needed_ to know -- if she'd heard correctly.

Edwin looked away, and hesitated at first before finally repeating himself.

"I said…" he began, clenching his fists tightly and squeezing his eyes shut. "I said… I'm sorry."

Lizzie stared at him in disbelief, tears stinging her eyes as his words echoed over and over again in her mind.

"What?" She whimpered, confused. "I don't… I don't understand… why -? Why are _you_ apologizing? It's my… _I_ should be the one - I… I kissed your girlfriend! I broke you guys up! I… I betrayed you… and… you… I…" she trailed off and glanced down, finding it difficult to form coherent sentences as her body shook uncontrollably with unshed tears threatening to escape.

"It's okay." Edwin murmured. "Michelle told me everything."

Lizzie's head snapped up.

"W-what?" She stammered. "W-when… when did you…?"

"Today." Edwin answered, staring up at the ceiling. "In the park. That's why I was gone - she called earlier and asked me to meet her. I wasn't going to, originally, but… something told me I needed to go, so I did." He sighed and raked his fingers through his dark hair before glancing over at her. "She told me everything."

"Everything?" Lizzie repeated.

"Everything." Edwin confirmed.

oOo

((FLASHBACK))

"You came!"

At the sound of his ex-girlfriend's voice, Edwin glanced up from his lap.

Michelle stood a few feet away from the bench he was sitting on, her eyes wide with surprise - a clear indication that she really hadn't expected him to show up.

"I…" she tore her gaze away from him and began fiddling with the hem of her blouse, "I didn't think you'd come."

Edwin shrugged.

"You thought wrong." He replied smoothly, before motioning to the empty space next to him.

Michelle's eyes followed; then, she looked back at him, confusion etched across her face.

Edwin sighed.

"Sit down, Michelle. I won't bite."

Hesitantly - as if she actually expected him _to_ bite -, the blonde moved forward to sit down beside him, but made sure to keep her distance by leaving a few inches between them. Once she'd made herself comfortable, she spoke.

"I have to say, Edwin… you're really freaking me out." She confessed.

Edwin raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked. "How so?"

"Well…" Michelle began, "I'm not gonna lie… I honestly expected you to be more… well…" she trailed off, unable to find the right words.

"Angry? Pissed off? Hurt? Betrayed? Fucking furious? Because I am!" Edwin snapped. " I'm just better at controlling my emotions than most people. That doesn't mean I'm not all of those things, though." He took a deep breath. "So, tell me… what do you want? Because, honestly, I'd rather _not_ be talking to you right now, but you seemed so damn desperate over the phone…"

Michelle bit her lip.

"I know, and I -"

"And if all this is just so you can 'apologize', I don't want to hear it." Edwin interrupted. "I don't want to hear it from you, or Lizzie, or -"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Michelle cut in, and Edwin furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"You're mad at me _and_ Lizzie, but the truth is, _none_ of this is Lizzie's fault." She said.

The dark-haired Venturi narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I _mean_… _I'm_ the one who initiated the kiss. Not Lizzie." Michelle told him. "Both kisses."

"THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE?" Edwin cried out in disbelief. "Jesus Christ! How long was this going on?"

"It started the day you came home and found me in your living room," said Michelle. "I came over with the intention of asking Lizzie what I was supposed to do when I was with you, but had feelings for someone else. So we started talking and… well, things got a little out of hand."

"A _little_?"

"Okay, a lot." Michelle replied. "She told me to _show_ the other person how I felt, so I did. I kissed her. And I knew she was shocked at first, but when she started kissing back… I don't know. I thought that she felt the same way or something… but before I could ask her, you came home and I left." She paused briefly to watch Edwin as he took in the information, before continuing. "Because I never asked, I just _assumed_ that she felt the same way about me as I did her, so I started making advances on her whenever we were together. When she didn't react, I confronted her in the hallway and she tried to tell me that it was wrong and that she would be betraying you, but I didn't listen. I was so caught up with trying to make her feel the same way that I just… did the first thing that came to mind." She tore her gaze away from Edwin's. "I kissed her, and that's when you found us."

Edwin didn't say anything at first. He couldn't. He didn't know _what_ to say. All he could do was stare at the grass beneath them, trying desperately to piece together all of the newfound information Michelle had told him.

"If you want to hate someone, hate me." The blonde went on. "All of this is _my_ fault; not Lizzie's. She had nothing to do with it, and you being mad at her… can't you see what it's doing to her? It's tearing her apart." She took a deep breath. "The day _we_ got together… do you know what she said to me?"

Edwin looked up.

"That I couldn't hang out with you because I was reading stories to my nonexistent Grandmother?"

"Well, _that_… but she also told me that you were the most important thing in her life. She didn't like seeing you so miserable, so she decided to do everything in her power to make sure you were happy - even if that meant making up a lie on your behalf." Michelle told him. "_You_ are more important to her than life itself. More than me, more than Jamie… more than everyone. She trusts _you_ above all else - even her own sister. Her own flesh and blood."

"She… she told you this?" Edwin murmured.

Michelle nodded.

"Yeah." She said. "She did, and… with you hating her… I don't know what she's going to end up doing. Jamie told me that she hasn't been eating a lot lately, and she doesn't want to hang out with anyone anymore and… she's obviously miserable without you, Edwin! Can't you see that? If you two don't patch things up, she'll become nothing more than an empty shell of who Lizzie McDonald used to be!"

For a split second, Edwin looked taken aback by her outburst, but he quickly regained his composure and sighed.

"I _could_ see it… I just didn't want to." He said. "I was so angry at her for thinking that she'd betray me like that, I just… I guess I just ignored it. Pushed it aside. I was trying to stay angry. I usually can't - not with Liz, anyways - but… I was so upset… I just kept reminding myself why we weren't talking to begin with, just so I could stay angry and hate her… even when she tried to tell me what happened… I didn't to listen. I was afraid she'd just lie to me like I thought she'd been doing all this time… so I shut her out… I didn't…" Edwin trailed off and buried his face in his hands. "Damn it! How could I be so _stupid_? Lizzie would never -!" He slammed his fist into the bench. "Shit!"

Michelle chewed nervously at her bottom lip.

"I'm so sorry, Edwin." She said. "I never meant to make such a mess out of things. I…"

"Just tell me one thing." Edwin said, once he'd calmed down.

Michelle nodded.

"Of course. Anything." She said.

Edwin didn't say anything at first; he just massaged his bruising knuckles. Finally, he spoke.

"Did you _ever_ like me?" He asked. "Or were you just using me to get to her?"

Michelle looked down at her lap.

"I _did_ like you, Edwin. I really did. I mean, what's not to like about you? You're smart, and funny, and… not that bad of a catch, either." She giggled, before becoming more serious. "But then… I don't know… after a while… after we all started hanging out - our friends and Lizzie's friends - … and I got to spend more and more time with Lizzie… I started to feel things for her." She squeezed her hands together tightly. "I tried to ignore it… to brush it off as hormones or something… but the feelings only got stronger over time. Pretty soon, I couldn't ignore it, and it was just eating me up inside and I finally decided that I needed to tell _someone_, and so… I went to Lizzie herself."

"I know I should've told you," the blonde continued, "or at the very least, broke up with you first before confronting Lizzie, but… I was afraid that you'd hate me or something. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Clearly."

Michelle frowned; then sighed.

"I've screwed up everything," she said, "I've damaged not only our relationship, but our friendship too, and I've ruined yours and Lizzie's as well. I just wanted you to know the whole truth before you decided to continue to shut Lizzie out of your life, because none of this is her fault and she doesn't deserve to be hated by you… only I do, and I'll understand completely if you never want to speak to me again. Just… talk to Liz. Make things right."

With that, she stood up. Combing her fingers through her blonde locks, she began to walk away, but stopped before she got too far out of earshot.

"I'm sorry, Edwin." She called out over her shoulder. "I really am."

Then, she was gone.

((END FLASHBACK))

X

Tears welled up in Lizzie's eyes.

"So," she started, trying desperately to keep her voice steady, "you… you don't hate me anymore?"

Edwin shook his head.

"No."

Lizzie bit down hard on her quivering lip, silently debating with herself about what to do or say next.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Edwin!" She cried finally, lowering her head so that her bangs shielded her eyes. "I know I should've told you about what was going on - I was going to! That day! Right after school! But then she… and you… and I… I couldn't -"

A choked sob left Lizzie's lips and she fell to her knees, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Edwin quickly dropped to the floor beside her, wrapping his arms around her and letting her bury her face in his shoulder as she sobbed openly and loudly - out of happiness or something else, he wasn't sure - squeezing him tightly as she whimpered apologies over and over again. He said nothing and just held her, rubbing her back in soothing motions in an attempt to calm her down. Her crying was making him nervous, to say the least; he'd never once in all the years that he'd known her, seen Lizzie cry - with the exception of watching _The Notebook_. But then again, _everyone_ cried during that. Even Derek - though he'd deny it in a heartbeat. So it didn't count.

"Shh… it's okay… just… just let it all out… take deep breaths… there, there…" He murmured.

After what seemed like eternity, Lizzie's sobs finally died down. Slowly lifting her head, she was immediately met with a playful smirk and couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry," she laughed weakly, wiping her remaining tears away. "I'm such a girl… look what I did to your shirt…"

She was, of course, talking about the dark wet spot on his shoulder that her tears had left behind.

Edwin glanced down briefly, then shrugged.

"It's fine," he assured her. "It'll dry."

Lizzie sighed and sat back on her knees, tucking her hair behind her ears before looking her step-brother in the eye.

"So… what now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Edwin.

"I mean… what's going to happen to _us_? Do we just… go back to the way things were and pretend this never happened or…?" Lizzie wondered.

Edwin didn't say anything at first. He just stared at the carpeted floor beneath them, clearly deep in thought. Then, after about a minute or so, he looked up.

"Isn't it obvious?" He chuckled. When Lizzie shook her head, he sighed and explained. "We move on. It's impossible to go back to the way things were, so… all we _can_ do is move on. Start over."

Lizzie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I see what you're saying." She said, before letting out a breath of relief. "I'm just glad that you don't hate me anymore. That we're talking again. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life, Edwin Venturi."

Edwin just smirked.

"Vent to Derek instead?" He teased.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder playfully, before grinning.

"So… what do you want to do now?" She asked. "We could always play videogames or something. Or - oh! I know! I have a better idea! We should totally -"

"Do you like Michelle?"

Lizzie's jaw fell open, and she stopped ranting instantly as she stared incredulously at Edwin as if he'd just sprouted an extra head or something.

"_WHAT_?" She cried. "What kind of question is that? Where did it even _come_ from?"

"Just answer the question, Liz." Edwin pleaded softly. "I need to know."

"I…" Lizzie didn't know _what_ to say, exactly. "I… I don't… I…"

Edwin rolled his eyes impatiently.

"It's a simple yes or no question." He said. "Do. You. Like. Her?"

Lizzie glared at him.

"Edwin, fuck! I don't know! How the hell am I supposed to know that?" She snapped.

Edwin sighed.

"Fine. Let's try something new." He said. "How did her kisses make you feel?"

"What are you, my shrink?"

"Just answer the question, Liz."

Lizzie sighed dramatically.

"I don't know." She said. "Good, I guess."

"Good like how?"

"Good like… it made me feel good." Lizzie replied, before elaborating. "It was like… floating on a cloud or something. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy and - STOP LAUGHING, EDWIN! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

"I'm… I'm s-sorry," Edwin apologized between giggles, "B-but… 'warm and fuzzy'?"

Lizzie glared venomously at him.

"Do you want to know or not?" She snarled.

"Yes!"

"Then stop making fun of me!"

"Alright, alright! I'll stop." Edwin cleared his throat. "So… umm… how were her kisses different from yours and Jamie's? Or… umm… _ours_…?"

"It was less sloppy… less messy. It tasted nicer, too." Lizzie replied, blushing slightly as she recalled the memories. "And… there was a certain… I don't know… _spark_ to it that wasn't there with you guys. You know?"

Edwin grinned sheepishly.

"A bit, yeah." He replied. "Michelle can do that. She's all about the passion -"

"Something both you and Jamie lack tremendously." Lizzie threw in, and Edwin narrowed his eyes.

"Hey! I have _a lot_ of passion!"

Lizzie snorted.

"Yeah right."

"It's true!"

"Really? Prove it."

"Fine. I will."

Before Lizzie could even comprehend what was going on, Edwin had swooped in and captured her lips with his in a bruising kiss that not only caught her off guard, but caused her to fall backwards, accidentally taking him with her.

Sprawled out atop of her as he was, Edwin couldn't help but smirk as he reveled in this new feeling of dominance, and pulled away briefly to gaze down at his step-sister's flushed face, his dark eyes never once leaving her swollen red lips, which parted slightly to take in oxygen. Edwin licked his lips before leaning forward and kissing her again, this time using her parted lips to his advantage by sliding his tongue inside her mouth. Their tongues met instantly, and a soft moan emitted from Lizzie as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as hard.

He'd certainly changed, the McDonald couldn't help but muse, inhaling sharply as Edwin's knee slid between her thighs and pressed dangerously close to her center. He would've never done this when they were twelve and still experimenting. He would've never initiated the kiss and he would've never been so rough and demanding and -

"OW!" Lizzie broke the kiss and glared up at the dark-haired teen above her. "Did you just _bite_ me?"

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and cringed when she tasted copper.

"Sorry," Edwin muttered. "Lost control, I guess."

Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"_Clearly_." She sighed and pushed herself up so that she was resting on her elbows, before eying Edwin curiously. "So… what the hell was that?"

"I was _trying_ to prove that I could be passionate." Edwin replied simply.

"By _biting_ me?"

"Well, Teddy said -"

"Wait, wait!" Lizzie interrupted. "You're taking love advice from _Teddy_, now?"

"Well, I wasn't about to go to _Derek_ again." Edwin countered. "And you were always out with Jamie, so… what choice did I have?"

Lizzie thought about it for a second, then nodded.

"I see your point." She said, "But… _Teddy_?"

"Yeah. He said that girls like it when guys are all rough with them."

"To an extent!" Lizzie exclaimed. "And let me tell you, _Bro_… _I_ draw the line at blood, and so do most _sane_ people and - Edwin, for the love of God, get _OFF_ of me!"

Edwin looked down, and then blushed. He hadn't even realized that he'd still been straddling her, and it certainly didn't help that the mere sight of Lizzie pinned beneath him in such a compromising position was enough to make his jeans suddenly feel two sizes too small. He did as he was told, however, and flopped down beside her.

"So, tell me… why did we stop our 'experimenting', again?" He asked.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes.

"Because," she said, "you decided you liked Michelle, and I decided I liked Jamie. _Remember_?"

"Oh. Right."

Another pause.

"So… out of curiosity… have you decided whether or not you liked Michelle, yet?"

Lizzie sighed, moving up to rest her head against the closet door.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe. I mean… when she kissed me… it was like…. Indescribable. No one I've ever kissed has ever left me so… oh, I don't even know how to explain it! What do you think?"

"Well…" Edwin started. "I don't know. Maybe you two should just like… give it a try or something…"

"Maybe." Lizzie considered. "Maybe not."

"Would you be up for it?" Edwin asked.

Lizzie shrugged.

"I'd have to break up with Jamie, first." She said. "He'd be devastated."

"But which one do you prefer?" asked Edwin. "Which one could you see yourself with… say… five years from now?"

"Given that neither my sister or my mother ever find out beforehand… probably Michelle." Lizzie answered.

"And why's that?"

"I don't know." Lizzie said. "I just… _know_. We seem more compatible. Jamie's too much of a pushover, anyhow. I'd be bound to get bored sooner or later."

"So… Michelle, then?" Edwin asked, his eyes gleaming wickedly.

"I guess." Lizzie sighed, and then frowned. "_Why_ are you looking at me like that?"

Edwin immediately feigned innocence.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Lizzie scoffed at him.

"Whatever." She muttered, and after another pause, she asked, "So are we going to play videogames or not?"

"Of course." Edwin replied, rising to his feet and then extending his hand to help Lizzie up as well. "You go set up. I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright." Lizzie replied, and although suspicious, she said nothing more as she exited the Games Closet and made her way down to the living room.

Edwin waited for a few seconds before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell. Flipping it open, he quickly dialed the number in mind and lifted it to his ear. After about three rings, the other line picked up, and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Hi, is Michelle there?"

X

**Alas, this is not the end. I wanted it to be, but I decided I couldn't just end it HERE. So… it's going to be a threeshot. Besides, I have a much funnier way to end it, and it'll be in the next chapter, which will be significantly less shorter than these past two.**

**UGH! I really do hate this fic, though. It sounded WAY better in my head. I think I'm gonna lay off the femslash for a little while, or at the very least, just stick to oneshots when dealing with them, cause really… grr.**

**Anyways… yeah.**

**Please, leave a review. Constructive Criticism is always appreciated, and for THIS monstrosity, I'd even accept flames.**

_**-Lady Azura-**_


	3. Part III

Disclaimer: Don't own _Life With Derek_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Ugh. I'm a horrible little wench. I haven't updated in a month! How careless of me… but I've been working hard to finish up _Marti the Matchmaker_ and _Code Names for Puberty_ by the end of the summer… the latter of which, will not be, but I made a goal to finish THIS and the former by the end of August, and I intend to do so.

So, without further ado, here is the third and final chapter of… Pandora's Box.

Enjoy.

X

**Pandora's Box****  
**_**Part III**_

X

They were in the midst of playing _Babe Raider IV_ when the doorbell rang.

"Liz, can you get that?" Edwin asked, without even so much as glancing away from the TV screen.

Lizzie opened her mouth to protest - after all, she was still a bit wary about opening the front door after the _last_ time - but decided against it. She and Edwin were finally on speaking terms again and she _refused_ to jeopardize that by making him mad. Until she was absolutely _positive_ that all was cool between them, she wasn't about to defy his requests and mess everything up. Not until she was sure. Until then, however, she was going to play it safe - even though it irritated her to no end to do so.

She sighed, reluctantly pressing the **PAUSE** button on her controller and standing up.

She supposed it was just her luck… just as she was about to beat Edwin for the umpteenth time, they were interrupted. No biggie, though, and with that thought in mind, she made her way over to the front door and opened it.

Her heart stopped.

There, standing in front of her, was none other than Michelle, whose blank expression vanished immediately upon seeing Lizzie, replaced with one of surprise and a hint of excitement - but that quickly morphed into sorrow and guilt when the object of her desires merely glowered at her.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She grit out, gripping the wooden threshold tightly as she glared venomously at the blonde and tried desperately to maintain a calm exterior.

Michelle opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, she was cut off.

By _Edwin_.

"I invited her."

Lizzie whirled around, startled to find her step-brother standing behind her.

When had he…?

Her gaze traveled over to the living room - specifically, the TV, where the words _**GAME OVER**_ blinked repeatedly on the screen - before she looked back at Edwin's face.

"You _WHAT_?" She all but shouted, staring at him incredulously as if he'd suddenly sprouted an extra head. "Why would you _DO_ that?"

"Because," the dark-haired teen answered simply. "You two need to talk. You can't just go around ignoring one another and pretending like there's nothing going on between you, because there obviously _is_ and you need to talk about it. Not vent to _me_… to each _other_." His eyes shifted to Michelle, who was still standing on the porch with a perplexed expression etched across her face. Nudging Lizzie aside, he motioned her in. "Make yourself at home, Michelle. You might be here for a while."

X

Moments later, Lizzie and Michelle found themselves sitting across from one another at the dining room table. Edwin stood a few feet away, leaning against the wall with his arms folded as he waited impatiently for one of them to say _something_. He knew it was rude to stand there and watch - especially when it really wasn't any of _his_ business to begin with - but he also knew that if he _didn't_, then neither girl would speak and _nothing_ would be resolved.

He couldn't let that happen.

So he stood there and waited.

And waited.

And waited, and waited until finally, Lizzie let out an exasperated sigh which broke the tense silence that had dawned on the three teenagers in the last few minutes, and craned her neck to glare at Edwin from over her shoulder.

"This is _so_ stupid." She said. "You can't make me do this. Derek won't let you."

Edwin promptly snorted at this, and then smirked at her.

"Won't he?" He countered, and when Lizzie nodded, his smirk only grew and he glanced around the surrounding area, where his brother was nowhere in sight. He then cupped his ear and tried to listen for Derek, but when all he was met with was the sound of the grandfather clock's incessant ticking, he looked back at Lizzie, his eyes twinkling mischievously as their gazes met. "And where, pray tell, _is_ Derek? Huh, Liz? 'Cause… he's certainly not here. And if I remember correctly…" the Venturi trailed off and tapped his chin thoughtfully before going on, "… I _believe_ I paid him around three-hundred bucks to stay out of the house for the remainder of the day. Last I heard, he was at Sam's jamming with D-Rock. In other words… he's. Not. Here."

Lizzie scowled.

_'So much for a hidden agenda.'_ She thought bitterly.

"_Still_." She argued. "You can't make me do this. I don't _have_ to talk if I don't want to."

Edwin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's not a matter of _want_, Liz. It's a matter of need, and what you _need_ to do is talk to Michelle about your _feelings_ for her." He said, disregarding the horrified look his step-sister sent him as soon as the words left his lips, her gaze bouncing back and forth frantically between him and the shocked blonde across from her as he continued. "It shouldn't be too hard. After all, you girls are always ranting on and on about your 'feelings' and 'emotions'."

Lizzie narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"I told you that in confidence, you jerk!" She snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You can't just go around blurting it out whenever you feel like it!"

"I _can_ when you're being unreasonable." Edwin replied.

"_I'M_ being unreasonable?" Lizzie cried disbelievingly. "_YOU'RE_ the one who -"

"You… have feelings for me?" Michelle asked, interrupting Lizzie's rant and speaking up for the first time since they'd sat down at the table.

Edwin smiled.

_Finally_.

Meanwhile, Lizzie had fallen silent upon realizing that she'd unconsciously admitted her feelings for Michelle… _in front of_ Michelle. Turning away from her step-brother, she let her gaze drop and stared intently at the clasped hands that rested in her lap, refusing to look at Michelle's face for fear of what she might see, and what she might _do_ once she saw. The blonde had a knack for making her rather impulsive, after all. She made her think with her heart and hormones instead of her brain. She couldn't afford to look at Michelle; not without losing control.

"Well, Liz?" Edwin coaxed, interrupting her thoughts. "Aren't you going to answer her? It's rude to leave someone hanging."

Lizzie squeezed her hands together tightly - so tightly, in fact, that her knuckles actually turned white.

_'No!'_ She wanted to scream. _'I don't have feelings for her! I'm not attracted to girls - I like guys! I'm not a lesbian!'_

Unfortunately, those words wouldn't come out.

She was a terrible liar - one of the many traits she'd inherited from her _dear_ sister, Casey. She _couldn't_ lie, even if she waned to, because the truth was… she _did_ have feelings for the blonde sitting across from her. She did and she was… scared. Terrified, even, of those feelings.

Yet, somehow, despite her fear, and despite Edwin's nagging, she was able to look up after about a minute or so, and look into the face of the girl who'd captured her heart.

"Yes." She said, nodding. "I do."

Michelle's face lit up, a beautiful smile gracing her features as she stared at Lizzie before glancing over at Edwin.

"I'm sorry, Edwin, but could you…?"

Her ex-boyfriend nodded, still smirking, and made his way out of the dining room and up the stairs, leaving the two girls alone.

Once he was gone, silence fell upon them once more, and Lizzie tore her gaze away from Michelle again to stare at her lap. Michelle frowned, and then smiled. Now that she knew how Lizzie felt about her, she wasn't about to let her slip away. Not without a fight, at least, and with that in mind, she stood up and walked around the table to where Lizzie was sitting.

The sound of a chair scraping across the wooden floor jarred Lizzie from her reverie, and she glanced up just in time to see the blonde pull up a chair beside her. She bit her lip nervously, and made a move to edge away, but when Michelle placed her hand over her clasped ones to stop her, she… stopped.

"Don't leave." Michelle pleaded softly. "Please. We can make this work… I promise."

Lizzie inwardly scoffed, but against her better judgment, she stayed, and after making herself more comfortable in her seat, she turned to look at the blonde.

"Make _what_ work?" She asked. "There's nothing _to_ work out."

Michelle sighed.

"I thought you were over your denial. Was it no five minutes ago that you confessed to having feelings for me?"

"Yeah, but -"

"But _nothing_!" Michelle exclaimed. "I like you, and you like me. This isn't rocket science, Lizzie, and… we don't have to tell anyone. I'm willing to keep it a secret if it means that I at least get to be with you."

"But what about my parents?" Lizzie protested. "What about my sister and what about _Jamie_? What am I going to tell them?"

"You don't have to tell them anything." Michelle replied. "Like I said… I'm willing to keep us a secret. For you. And I promise I won't make any advances on you when we're at school or when your parents are home. Just… be my girlfriend. Say yes!"

By this point, an internal battle was raging on inside of Lizzie.

On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to be with Michelle. Michelle made her feel things that she'd never felt for anyone else before. Not Edwin, not Jamie… not even Derek (though, that was her own dirty little secret. She'd never told _anyone_ about the crush she'd harbored for her elder step-brother for about three months after he'd helped her with hockey. Luckily for her, however, it'd faded away over time). Not anyone. When she was around Michelle, everything was so… indescribable. She liked that.

On the other hand… if she and Michelle hooked up and were found out, she'd have to deal with all of the ramifications afterwards. She'd have to deal with the shit from all of her homophobic teachers and classmates, and risk getting expelled for being a 'dyke' in the first place, and she'd have to deal with the possibility of being kicked out of her home or disowned by her equally homophobic family - the McDonalds; not so much the Venturis. She didn't know what George's opinion was on homosexuality, but she supposed he was fairly open to it considering that neither Derek nor Edwin (or Marti, for that matter) seemed particularly hostile towards the idea. And she was almost certain that she'd heard Edwin mention that _his_ mom -- George's ex-wife, Abby -- was very supportive of gay rights, so if worse came to worse… she could always move to Spain and live with Abby until she was eighteen.

Lizzie sighed before looking at Michelle.

"Okay." She said, defeated. "I'll be your girlfriend."

Michelle grinned, and then proceeded to throw her arms around the brunette and pull her closer.

"Thank you, Lizzie! Thank you so, _so_ much! You won't regret this - I promise! I'll make you the happiest girl in the world! I'll - mmph!"

Before the blonde could even comprehend what was going on, Lizzie's lips were on hers and she suddenly found herself being shoved back into her seat while her girlfriend straddled her awkwardly, never once breaking the kiss as she placed one of her hands on her shoulders for balance while the other cupped the back of her neck and allowed her to deepen the kiss. Michelle was paralyzed with shock for the first ten seconds of it, but she was able to regain her composure and quickly wrapped her arms around Lizzie's waist, returning the kiss with just as much passion as she did so. She could feel the brunette smile against her lips, and couldn't help but smile back and was about to deepen the kiss even more when Lizzie pulled away for air.

Michelle opened her eyes and gazed dreamily at her girlfriend, who smiled down at her once she had her breathing under control.

"So…" the blonde started. "What was _that_ for?"

Lizzie just shrugged.

"I dunno. To seal the deal, I guess." She said. "_And_ to shut you up."

Michelle smirked.

"Well, if _that's_ how you shut people up… then you can shut me up anytime."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and playfully swatted her girlfriend on the shoulder before making a movie to stand up, but Michelle wouldn't let her.

"Ah-ah, Liz." She chided. "_You're_ not going anywhere. We have a lot of catching up to do and I intend to savor each…" she trailed off to place one hand on Lizzie's knee, while the other rested on her hip, "… and every…" her fingers began to dance upward until they reached the brunette's inner thigh, and Michelle couldn't help but grin smugly when Lizzie's eyes widened and she began to squirm uncomfortably in her lap, "… moment of it." She finished, and just as her fingers were about to make contact with the apex of Lizzie's thighs, a familiar voice stopped her.

"Room for one more?"

Both girls groaned and rolled their eyes before glaring over at Edwin, who was currently standing at the foot of the stairs holding a camera and sporting a very obvious and _very_ noticeable hard-on.

"Nice boner, Edweirdo." Lizzie sneered, causing her step-brother to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, well, what do you expect? Two hot girls are making out in _my_ house and I'm the only guy home." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So… I guess it's safe to assume that you guys are finally together."

"Brilliant deduction, genius." Lizzie answered flatly. "Now get lost. Take the picture, go up to your room and jack off to it, and leave us alone."

Edwin feigned hurt.

"Lizzie… I'm crushed. Is that _really_ the way to speak to the guy who's responsible for hooking you two up in the first place?" He asked.

Lizzie opened her mouth to retort, but her girlfriend cut her off.

"He's right, you know." Michelle reasoned, ignoring the horrified look on Lizzie's face. "He _did_ help us. We should at least be nice to him."

Edwin nodded eagerly in agreement.

"I like the way this one thinks." He said. "So… can I join you?"

"Not a chance." Both girls answered in unison, and Edwin's face fell.

"_Fine_." He muttered in defeat. "But can I at least tape some hot girl on girl action?"

"_Edwin_!"

Edwin held up his hands in defense.

"Relax, ladies. I was only kidding." He assured them. "And… I promise that _I_ won't tell anyone about you either. I'll just leave you two alone and go take care of _this_…" he motioned to the bulge in his jeans, "… on my own. See ya!"

He was about to make a mad dash up the stairs, but stopped about midway to lean over the banister and stare at Lizzie.

"One more thing, though." He said, and once he had both girls' attention, he asked, "What are you going to tell Jamie?"

Lizzie and Michelle's eyes widened as realization came tumbling down on them.

"Shit!"

"Jamie! I still have to break up with him!"

And Edwin couldn't help but smirk in amusement as he watched Lizzie scramble away from Michelle and quickly adjust her clothing before racing into the kitchen and over to the phone.

X

"Okay, so let me get this straight…" Jamie began, tearing his gaze away from the two girls locked at the lips on the couch to look at Edwin. "Lizzie and Michelle left _us_… for _each other_?"

Edwin nodded numbly, never once taking his eyes off the scene taking place on the couch and unconsciously licking his lips when Lizzie's hand disappeared under Michelle's skirt.

_'God, this is WAY better than Derek's porn.'_ He thought, but when Jamie repeated his question, he felt obliged to answer and _not_ leave him hanging.

"Yeah, pretty much." He answered nonchalantly.

There was a brief silence before Jamie spoke again.

"But wait…" He said. "Does that mean that if _they're_ together… then _we_ should hook up as well?"

There was a huge pause in which Edwin's concentration was finally broken upon hearing Jamie's words, and he turned his head to stare incredulously at the other boy before slowly edging away from him.

"Jamie… no. Just… just no." He said, shaking his head in dismay.

"But I thought -"

"Dude. I'm not gay."

"Neither am I!"

"I _highly_ doubt that." Edwin snorted, before whirling around and stalking out of the living room while Jamie followed closely behind and tried desperately to make the Venturi believe he was straight… but with little to no avail.

Once the two boys were completely out of earshot, Michelle and Lizzie broke their kiss to laugh at Jamie's predicament.

"Poor Jamie." Lizzie cooed. "We should find him a girlfriend or something…"

"Him _and_ Edwin." Michelle added, taking a strand of Lizzie's hair and curling it around her index finger before releasing it. "I love your hair. It's so pretty."

Her girlfriend smiled warmly at her.

"Your hair is beautiful too." She said.

Michelle nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose it is…" She agreed. "But do you know what I love even more?"

Lizzie shook her head.

"No. What?"

Michelle smirked.

"You."

And with that, she wrapped her arms around Lizzie's neck and pulled her down for another kiss.

X

FIN

X

**Alright! It's finally done, and to be honest… I'm quite pleased with how this chapter turned out. Mostly because I enjoy ripping on Jamie. Don't get me wrong - I adore him… I just adore poking fun at him even more.**

**Then we had some uber perverted Edwin going on… which seems to be a reoccurring theme in my fics. Did anyone else notice that?**

**Another thing I liked about it is that I got to explore the pros and cons of homosexuality during Lizzie's "internal" battle. And I threw in Abby as the catalyst… 'cause Abby's often portrayed as such a bitch in many fanfics (mind you, a lot of these fics were written BEFORE she made her debut and we found out she was a decent mother, so they're excused), and I wanted to make her nice. So, like me, she's supportive.**

**And… yeah. That's all I can think of right now.**

**Oh, no! I take that back. There is one more thing I'd like to talk about. Edwin and Lizzie are teenagers in the fic… I'm gonna say around 15 or 16, and yes, Derek is living at home. 'Cause I want him to. Also, I struggled with the videogame thing in the very beginning of the chapter. At first, I was going to throw in a game that actually exists in real life (i.e - Halo, GTA, etc.), but then I decided it would be better if I just used a game that already exists IN THE SHOW. So I settled with **_**Babe Raider**_**, 'cause it's the only one we know about. HOWEVER, since it's been a few years since the McDonalds first moved in… I decided to make it a fourth installment. How do you like dem apples?**

**Alright, now I'm really done talking.**

**I hope you enjoyed the fic!**

**Thanks so much to everyone who read it!**

**Review**** and tell me what you think!**

_**-Lady Azura-**_


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